Complaints Have Bands On The Run From Berkeley

April 05, 1990|By San Francisco Chronicle.

BERKELEY, CALIF. — The Paul McCartney concerts generated so much noise and disruption here last weekend that major rock shows will no longer be allowed in Memorial Stadium at the University of California in Berkeley, a campus official said.

Campus and Berkeley police received hundreds of complaints about sound amplification Saturday and Sunday nights.

Residents who live close to the stadium also complained about traffic congestion and trespassing by concertgoers.

``We`re really happy that so many people enjoyed the concerts,``

Assistant Chancellor John Cummins said Monday. ``But it`s quite clear to us that we are not equipped to handle a concert of that magnitude.``

Memorial Stadium is ``not adequate`` for such large-scale performances because of its location in the hills between the campus and a residential neighborhood, Cummins said.

In addition to the complaints to police, a hot line set up by Cal Performances, the campus group that sponsored the show, received more than 160 calls over the weekend by residents complaining about noise, traffic, parking, trespassing and low-flying advertising airplanes.

The university raised $400,000 by making an exception to its longstanding policy banning commercial events from the stadium. Half of the money will be used to build a shelter for the homeless in Berkeley. After paying for modifications to the stadium required by the concerts, the university will distribute the balance to Cal Performances and the intercollegiate athletic fund.

About 60,000 fans attended each of the two sold-out performances. Tickets cost $35 apiece.

``It was extraordinarily loud noise,`` said Panoramic Way resident Ann Slaby. ``People down at the bottom of the hill had their windows shaking.``

Slaby said many residents left town to avoid the concerts, but she said others enjoyed listening to a free performance from their rooftops.